


Shrapnel

by BoxOnTheNile



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: BL1 era, Bad Things Happen Bingo, F/M, M/M, Multi, Surgery, trans ace mordy is my heart and soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-31
Packaged: 2019-07-05 02:17:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15854187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoxOnTheNile/pseuds/BoxOnTheNile
Summary: Something clattered on the rocks next to him, and Mordecai looked at the grenade for longer than he should have.“Motherfucker,” he said, and the grenade exploded.





	Shrapnel

**Author's Note:**

> Me, scrolling through a list of Bad Things Happen prompts: this is the perfect time to write something other than rvb

_“How're we looking, Mordecai?”_

Mordecai shifted minutely, eye pressed against the scope of his rifle. “Gorgeous, _mi sirenita,_ as always. But the camp hasn't noticed you yet.”

_“Aww, Mordy called me gorgeous.”_

Mordecai chuckled softly, moving his crosshairs from Lilith to where Brick was supposed to be. “I can't see you, Brick, where are you?”

 _“With me,”_ Roland said. _“There's a scythid nest where we put him at first.”_

Mordecai sucked in a breath between his teeth; he hated scythids. _They didn't have eyes._ “Okay. Let me know when to take the shot.” He moved his crosshairs again, centering then on the head of the bandit camp’s lookout. “In position.”

 _“In position,”_ Lilith ECHOed. 

_“Whenever you’re ready, Mordecai,”_ Roland said. Mordecai inhaled, exhaled long and steady, and pulled the trigger. 

The lookout’s head jerked, the wall behind them painted with brain matter, and they dropped. A half-second later, Lilith appeared in the center of the camp in an explosion of fire, Roland’s Scorpio turret unfolding next to her as Brick charged into the fray.

Bloodwing launched from the rocks next to Mordecai to divebomb a marauder heading for Roland’s cover, her claws ripping into their throat. Mordecai sniped a Bruiser before he could take a shot at Lilith. She tapped the transmitter on her ECHO, sending a thank you with the brief burst of static. 

There was an awful, high pitched shriek, and Mordecai whipped around, one arm coming up to cover his face from the pincers of a Desert Scythid.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, he hated these, hated them, and his hand shook as he scrambled to draw his revolver and empty all six shots into the carapace of the scythid. He shoved the corpse off of him, pincer catching on his sleeve as his shield lost integrity. 

Something clattered on the rocks next to him, and he looked at the grenade for longer than he should have.

“Motherfucker,” he said, and the grenade exploded.

White-hot agony blanketed his torso as shrapnel slammed into his chest. Almost immediately, pressure built in one side of his chest as a lung collapsed.

“Mordecai!”

He heard the shout distantly, Roland not using the ECHO. Or maybe he did, but Mordecai’s was destroyed by the grenade that had shredded the rest of him.

The scythid’s corpse was utterly destroyed. Its carapace had probably saved his life, though that wasn’t going to be the case much longer. The rock around him was rapidly turning a sickly green. 

Wings of fire unfolded above him as Lilith appeared, accompanied by Bloodwing’s furious, frightened screeching. She carefully scooped Mordecai into her arms and the world swam blue and soft. 

“I’ve got him!” Lilith said when everything sharpened again. “Start the fucking truck, Brick!” She was running, and that _hurt_ , but he couldn’t find the air to tell her. He was jostled as she reached for Roland’s hand, tattoos lighting up as she tapped into her power for the strength to hold Mordecai one-handed. 

Roland caught hold of Lilith’s wrist and pulled them into the truck bed. His eyes darted over Mordecai’s chest before he turned and nearly threw himself at the cab, wiggling through the broken back window. Brick slammed the accelerator and the truck lurched forward. “Lily, his shirt has to go.”

“On it,” she said, and ripped it open. 

“Buy m’ a drink firs’,” Mordecai mumbled. 

Lilith laughed softly. “Even if I did, you wouldn't sleep with me.” Her fingertips skimmed over his ribs. “Roland, his lips are turning blue!”

Roland dragged himself back out of the cab with an empty syringe, a bottle of moonshine, and a pair of tweezers between his teeth. “Lily, get his head on your lap and hold his arms,” he said, muffled. Lilith did as he asked, and Roland dumped half the bottle of moonshine on Mordecai’s chest.

He would've screamed if he had the air. Above, Bloodwing screamed for him. 

“Sorry, love,” Roland said, tweezers still in his mouth. “Not done.” He held the bottle between his knees and pulled the plunger free of the syringe. He poured more of the alcohol over the needle, “sorry,” and stabbed it between his ribs. There was a soft rush of air, and suddenly Mordecai could _breathe_ again. Not great, not perfect, but enough to let loose a long string of Spanish curses.

“Mordy?” Brick called.

“Keep driving, _cariño_ ,” Mordecai rasped. His vision was starting to swim. “ _Mi cielo?”_

“Bloodwing is fine, she's keeping the road clear,” Lilith soothed, petting his hair. Next to them, Roland was dousing the tweezers. 

“Lily, how controlled can you get fire?” he asked, and Mordecai did not like that. 

“Not fire, but I can cauterize,” she answered, and Mordecai liked that less. “You're gonna have a couple new scars, baby. Not as symmetrical, though.” 

“Where'd you get top surgery?” Roland asked, one broad hand pressing down on Mordecai’s sternum to hold him still.

Mordecai knew what he was doing- if he talked, he'd relax, and Roland could yank shrapnel without the added difficulty of Mordecai flinching. “Shitty- shitty town on Artemis. I was twenty-one. Stole from her after. Feel kinda bad about that.” 

Roland hummed and pulled a piece of shrapnel free. Mordecai flinched instinctively, but Lilith and Roland held him down. “Aren't you supposed to stay on bedrest for like, a week after that? How long were you down?”

“Three days,” Mordecai said. “Some asshat came in when she was out and tried to take my shit, including baby Blood. I put a bullet in his head and ran. _Motherfucker!_ ” Roland yanked another shard.

“Good,” Lilith said. “Roland?”

Roland pulled his hands back. “Go.” Lilith leaned over Mordecai and pressed her fingertips to one of the wounds. A flash of her tattoos and it _burned_. She moved her hand and did it again.

“They're not as deep as I thought they'd be,” Roland told her as he held Mordecai down again and she went back to petting his hair. 

“They went through a scythid first.”

“That explains the green.”

“S’all green,” Mordecai said.

Lilith looked confused for a second. “Right, colorblind!”

“Did you forget he can't see red?” Roland asked. “Lily.” He pulled another shard, and Lilith leaned to cauterize. 

“Problem,” Mordecai slurred. “I can't feel my arms.”

“Brick!” Roland called, digging for more shrapnel. “ETA to the Fast Travel?” 

The engine whined, and Mordecai felt _that_ as the suspension gave up and the truck bed started shuddering. “Two minutes!”

Things faded in and out for a couple minutes, until Lilith patted his cheek. “Baby, call Bloodwing so we can go.” 

“ _Pollita_ ,” he said weakly. He heard Brick repeat the petname, louder, and Bloodwing’s answering cry. “Take care of her.” He passed out.

* * *

Awareness came back bit by bit, and Mordecai groaned in pain. It was distant and cottony in a way that suggested drugs were muffling the worst of it. 

“Stay down, son,” came Zed’s rumbling voice. “You still have a tube in your chest.”

“Hunters?” Mordecai asked. He didn't open his eyes. 

“Your partners dragged every spare blanket in New Haven into my clinic to sleep on the floor. They're here, and your bird is watching the street. Keeps trying to maul Shep.”

Mordecai smiled tiredly. “That's my girl.” He picked up on Brick's steady breathing, Roland's quiet snores, and went back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> find my card [here](http://boxonthenile.tumblr.com/badthingscard)


End file.
